After the main force retreated, and the army was alone, in fact, if we talked about who won or lost the two countries in this Eastern Crusade, it was probably a lose-lose ending, and there was no winner in this war.

More objectively speaking, this war does not even have the so-called "justice" and "evil", both sides are impure motives, both sides have their own ghosts, it is just a contest between two rulers, they take heaven and earth as a chessboard, with all living beings as chess pieces, each holding black and white, no regrets, and finally with a slight gap of half a child, played a game of chess, the chess game was drawn, but the dead chess pieces could never come back.

The army set off, still as when it came, the flag covered the sun, the horn was long, and the forward set out for an hour before the Chinese army slowly started.

After the Chinese army, a strange cavalry slowly passed in front of Li Su's eyes, this cavalry was covered with black armor, even the helmet was fully enclosed, only two eyes were exposed, and the neck and abdomen of the war horse under him were also covered with a layer of iron leaf armor, the number was not much, only about two thousand, but when this cavalry of more than 2,000 people passed by Li Su's side, Li Su clearly felt a suffocating pressure, as if the entire mountain peak fell down on his head, and he felt indescribably uncomfortable.

Li Su couldn't help but cast a regretful glance at the heavy cavalry.

This cavalry is the world-famous Xuanjia heavy cavalry, when Li Shimin was still the king of Qin, it was this Xuanjia cavalry that followed him to fight in the north and south, and the combat effectiveness was very strong, and later the Tang Dynasty established the country, the Xuanjia heavy cavalry was split into two parts, one part was controlled by Li Jing, which played a vital role in the war to destroy the East * - Turks, and the other part was changed to the Hundred Cavalry Division, becoming the personal guard of Li Shimin's side, responsible for guarding the emperor and guarding the palace.

The well-known "King of Qin Breaking Array Music" records that Li Shimin broke Wang Shichong Dou Jiande's 100,000 army formation with a hundred horsemen, so from this real deed evolved "King Qin Breaking Array Music", and the "Hundred Horses" led by Li Shimin, the king of Qin at that time, was the Xuanjia heavy cavalry.

The heavy horse that walked in front of Li Su's eyes now was the world-famous Xuanjia heavy horse.

The reason why Li Su felt sorry was because this heavy cavalry was too famous, and its combat effectiveness could be described as fierce, if this cavalry could stay and be responsible for the break, Li Su's grasp could increase by three percent. It's a pity that this is a heavy cavalry, which is not suitable for the mountainous terrain of Goguryeo, and the limitations of the troops doom them to be unable to play a role here, and they can only withdraw to the territory of the Tang Dynasty with Li Shimin.

After the Xuanjia cavalry, it was Li Shimin's royal chariot, and Li Shimin, who was riding on a horse in high spirits before the expedition, could only lie on the soft couch and be carried forward by eighteen burly guards.

When the imperial chariot passed by Li Su and Li Ji, Li Shimin's weak voice suddenly sounded.

"Stop ......"

Eighteen Praetorian Guards stopped in unison.

Chang Tu on the side stepped forward and helped Li Shimin's body up.

Li Shimin's complexion was still very gray, like a withered lamp that was about to run out of oil, supporting half of his body from the imperial chariot, and smiled at Li Ji and Li Su.

Li Ji and Li Su hurriedly dismounted and saluted Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked at the two of them deeply, for a long time, and said slowly: "After the heavy responsibility is broken, I will hand it over to the two, and it is my fault to welcome the crowd with outnumbered, to face enemies on all sides, and to involve the two of them in danger." ”

Li Ji bowed and said: "It is the duty of the minister to worry about the king, your majesty don't worry, the minister swears with his head that he will ensure that the main force of the king is safe." ”

Li Shimin shook his head: "Qing is the pillar of the country, how can you talk about life and death lightly?" I only hope that Qing will do his best, if he can't do anything, he will withdraw decisively, and don't get involved in a dangerous situation with the body of a daughter, the Eastern Crusade is already a two-defeat situation, and I can't lose my love again. ”

Li Ji was greatly moved, hung his head and choked to accept his life.

Li Shimin turned his head to look at Li Su and said with a smile: "Zizheng, what I said just now was also to you, remember, you must take care of yourself, your uncle and nephew are both treasures of my Tang Dynasty, you can't afford to lose, Zizheng is only in his twenties, so young, don't take risks easily, I and the next generation of emperors need your full assistance, remember my words, you must return safely." ”

Li Su bowed and said, "Yes, the minister will do his best." ”

Li Shimin nodded, and when he said this, his expression was a little tired again, but he still held on to his spirit and said: "In addition to Yu'er's 20,000 light horses, what do you still want, say it, I will try my best to satisfy you." ”

Li Ji quickly glanced at Li Su and did not speak.

Li Su didn't say anything polite to Li Shimin, this critical juncture is not the time to be polite, no matter what is the more, the better.

So Li Su hurriedly said: "The minister has a request, first, if possible, please ask Your Majesty to allocate some more grain and grass, although the army is not rich in grain and grass, but the main force of the Wang Division is hungry and rushing, and the minister and other 20,000 soldiers, but they can't go hungry and fight with the enemy......

Li Shimin was stunned, then shook his head and smiled: "At this time, Zizheng is still so flamboyant......"

After pondering for a moment, Li Shimin gritted his teeth and said: "Okay, I will allocate two more days of grain and grass to you, plus the previous grain and grass, a total of five days, Zizheng, this is my greatest effort, I am afraid that no more, if the main force of the Wang Division lacks too much grain and grass, I am afraid that it will mutiny, I can't take risks, and I hope Zizheng understands." ”

Li Su was in a much better mood and hurriedly bowed down to thank him.

"Zizheng just said 'one of them', there must be one of them, there must be two, go on, what else do you want."

Li Su said unceremoniously: "Second, the minister asks His Majesty to allocate all the remaining earth-shattering thunder to the minister. ”

Li Shimin nodded: "This can be agreed, but I heard from the marching commander that there are not many earth-shaking thunders left, probably only more than a thousand...... When attacking Anshi Castle, the Earthquake Thunder consumed too much. ”

Li Su smiled: "It's okay, it's better than nothing." ”

"What more?"

Li Su thought for a while and shook his head: "The minister has nothing to ask for." ”

In fact, there are a lot of requirements that I want to make, but at present, the crisis of the main force of the Tang Army is imminent, and it is still difficult to take care of itself, and there is not much food, grass and ordnance left, Li Su estimates that it is difficult for Li Shimin to come up with anything to support him now.

Li Shimin looked at the two of them deeply, and said with a complicated expression: "In this way, I will entrust the two of you with the heavy responsibility of blocking the enemy after the break." ”

Li Ji and Li Su bowed and clenched their fists: "The minister takes the order." ”

As Junchen was talking, a ball of white flesh rolled over next to him.

"Father, the son is willing to stay with Uncle Li and Zizheng to break off the queen for his father!"

Li Tai knelt in front of Li Shimin with an awe-inspiring look, and looked at death very much.

The corners of Li Ji and Li Su's eyes twitched at the same time.

At a critical juncture, this dead fat man did not forget to come out to brush up on his sense of existence, and he worked hard to be the prince.

Li Shimin's face suddenly became gloomy, obviously very unhappy in his heart.

Li Su suddenly said: "Your Majesty, since His Royal Highness the King of Wei is willing to stay, let him stay, His Royal Highness the King of Wei is talented, young and heroic, and he is really a rare man of both civil and military affairs among the princes, and after leading the army, it is suitable for his talents and ......."

Li Su blinked his innocent big eyes, with a look of anticipation: "It's better to let His Royal Highness King Wei replace the ministers to stay behind the queen, and the ministers are willing to fulfill His Highness's loyalty and filial piety." ”

"Shhh

It stands to reason that after Li Tai took the initiative to ask for a break just now, Li Su's words were intended to fulfill him, but ...... Li Tai dared to swear to the sky that his active petition just now was absolutely not sincere, it was all kind words, as if the generals of the defeated army from ancient times to the present day would draw their swords and wipe their necks in pain and shame in front of the soldiers, do these generals of the defeated army really not want to live? Of course not, no matter which dynasty's defeated general wiped his neck, there happened to be a gold medal henchman next to him who rushed up at the right time, quickly stopped the general's sword, and then persuaded the general not to be discouraged, to forge ahead to Hongyi, a large mouthful of chicken soup poured down, and the general decided to continue to live happily and happily.

Li Tai's initiative to petition just now is almost of this nature, he is sure that his initiative petition will not be granted, because he knows that he is a big fat man, with strong strength to drag his legs, but if Li Shimin has no problem with his brain, he will not agree to stay, since he will not agree, then he will show his loyalty in front of his father, show his courage to regard death as home, and give Li Shimin a good impression of "seeing the poor in time", which is naturally beneficial and not costly, and there are no disadvantages.

Who knew that Li Su's shaft actually climbed up the pole and took his kind words seriously......

Is it human? Inhuman!

As soon as Li Su finished speaking, Li Tai's white pork belly suddenly trembled, his eyes showed a look of horror, and then he ...... Tears flowed uncontrollably.

Turning his head to look at Li Shimin again, he saw Li Shimin looking at him with a gloomy face, as if he was groaning and hesitating, as if he took Li Su's words just now seriously, Li Tai couldn't help but become more and more frightened, Douda's tears couldn't stop flowing down, and he wanted to change his mouth immediately, but he really couldn't open his mouth, thinking that he was very likely to really stay and fight with the fierce enemy, Li Tai had an urge to hit the wall.

Cheap mouth! I didn't have anything to do just now, I jumped out to ask for something, it was a big death......

"Father—" Li Tai cried out pitifully and desperately as he collapsed on the ground.

Li Shimin finally reacted, glanced at him coldly, and said, "Laughing at the world, pitiful and hateful!" Get down! ”

Immediately, Li Shimin waved his hand and ordered to set off.

Li Tai seemed to have been drained of all his strength, and collapsed weakly on the ground, panting heavily, and his fat face showed a look of happiness for the rest of his life.

Li Shimin's imperial chariot walked away, and Li Su walked up to Li Tai and squatted down, smiling and mending the knife.

"Your Highness, is your mouth cheap?"

"Get out of here!" Li Tai's tears were not dry, and he glared at him viciously.

"Huh? You dare to be stubborn and uninhibited in front of me, don't you? Believe it or not, I'll rush to Your Majesty's chariot now, and ask for you one more time, and this time I can guarantee that Your Majesty will keep you......"

As soon as he stood up, Li Tai quickly grabbed his sleeve.

Li Su turned his head, but saw Li Tai with a pleading look on his face, and looked at him pitifully: "Brother Zizheng, it's the foolish brother who is wrong, spare me!" ”

"Okay, I forgive you." Li Su laughed, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't be naughty next time......

Li Tai nodded angrily, thinking that he was almost really left behind just now, he couldn't help but be afraid for a while, not only did tears flow, but he let go of his voice, crying like a child of more than three hundred pounds......

***************************************************************

Li Ji and Li Su watched the main force of the Chinese army go away, and then the two turned around and looked at the 20,000 light horsemen left behind them.

There are 20,000 people, which are dense as far as the eye can see, and there is no end in sight.

However, compared to the 150,000 enemy troops he was about to face, these people were really not much, Li Su's mood couldn't help but become heavy, he knew that he and the 20,000 soldiers were about to face a fierce battle.

Li Su has never been a hero, his character has a big gap with the word "hero", he is just an ordinary person, there is good and evil in his heart, he has never been able to be as righteous and awe-inspiring as a hero for the country and the people, it is inevitable to feel a little guilty when doing bad things, if the degree of "bad" is relatively small, the guilt will pass for a while, if the degree is relatively large, maybe a little will make up for it. After doing a good job, I want to regret it, I feel that I am not worth it, I feel that I have done a stupid thing, and then I slap myself wildly, and finally I am forced by the situation, or I am forced by my conscience, and I am unwilling to finish this good thing, and I grit my teeth and admit it with a small snack loss, and secretly swear in my heart that I will never do such a stupid thing a second time, but after the scar is good and forgets the pain, my brain twitches and I can't help but make the same mistake, do the same stupid thing, and then continue to slap wildly......

Voluntarily leaving a broken scar is a typical result of forgetting the pain.

After coming out of Li Shimin's tent, he regretted it, but unfortunately this is a military camp, there is no joke in the army, Li Shimin cannot allow him to play a scoundrel, and Li Su himself does not dare to go back on his word, so with a reluctant mood, Li Su began to face the next severe crisis.

Standing in the cold wind of the northern winter, Li Su looked at the direction where the army was far away, and he didn't know what to think.

Li Ji patted him on the shoulder and said, "Does Zizheng have any ideas?" The chasing soldiers are coming, time is not waiting, if you have any ideas, hurry up and say, the old man will take a closer look and then make sense. ”

Li Su thought for a while and said, "First of all, send the scouts out and send more people out, this time we have to learn a lesson, not only pay close attention to the movements of the Quangai Suwen department, but also pay attention to the every move of the northern Yan tribe, as well as the actions of Yang Wanchun, the city of Anshi in the south......"

Sighing, Li Su smiled bitterly: "Right now, we are being attacked on three sides, uncle, this battle is not easy." ”

Li Ji stroked his black beard and said with a smile: "It is precisely because it is a vicious battle that Your Majesty left the old man and you, if it is as easy as chopping melons and vegetables, the old man still disdains to stay, haha......"

Looking up at the sky, this day was too exciting, on this day, the invincible Tang army was attacked by the cavalry of the Yan Dynasty, burning most of the grain and grass, yesterday Li Shimin was still outside the city of Daxing with high spirits planning the strategy of conquering Goguryeo, only one day later, the Tang army, which was almost undefeated in the world, had to retreat from the camp and hurriedly withdrew to its own territory.

At this time, it was not early, Li Ji picked up a dead leaf from the ground and threw it into the sky, and the dead leaf fluttered and swayed down, slowly drifting to the east.

Li Ji nodded, and said in a deep voice: "Order the whole army to camp outside Daxing City, the camp faces east and west, dig deep trenches, and the scouts release a patrol thirty miles away to prevent the enemy from setting fire to the camp." ”

The herald next to him took the order and left.

Li Ji looked at Li Su and said with a smile: "It's not early today, Zizheng and settle down, after dinner, the old man is handsome, let's discuss tomorrow's line." ”

Li Su was silent for a moment and said, "Uncle, after setting up camp, I want to go to the various camps to inspect the tents and talk to the soldiers. ”

Li Ji was surprised: "Why? ”

Li Su sighed: "We are a lone army, in danger, full of dangers. To put it simply, our 20,000 people are about to fight the enemy, so I want to understand the morale of the soldiers first. ”

Li Ji smiled and praised: "Although Zizheng is young, he is well versed in the way of generals and soldiers, and in a few years, you can lead the army alone." ”

Li Su pondered for a moment, and then said: "All the soldiers can't be idle, you might as well divide the labor when camping, part of the camp, divide two thousand people to dig wild vegetables in the nearby mountains, and select another thousand good shooters to go up the mountain to find prey, and then divide two thousand men and horses to go to the nearby countryside villages to search for food, in short, as long as we can eat something in our mouths, we must find a way to get it, there is not much food and grass, we must do our best to fill our stomachs." ”

Li Ji was as promised.

…………

An hour later, the camp was basically set up, and 20,000 horses performed their duties, some buried in the stove to cook, and some went up to the mountains to hunt.

Fang Lao Wu and the others had already set up Li Su's barracks, and when Li Su returned to the barracks, Fang Lao Wu and the others were cooking on a fire outside the barracks.

Li Su paused, groaned, and said, "Fifth Uncle, how much meat and green vegetables are left from our home?" ”

Fang Lao Wu thought for a while and said, "The meat brought out by the family has already been eaten, and the meat that my grandfather has roasted these days is all the prey and game that the brothers have hunted in the nearby mountains, and as for the green vegetables, there are about 100 catties left." ”

Li Su hesitated for a moment, and said: "Take out all the green vegetables and meat, and hand them over to the heavy grain and grass officer, and he will distribute them equally to all the soldiers, from today on, what the soldiers eat, we will also eat......

Fang Lao Wu said with a bitter face: "Grandpa, this little thing is nothing compared to 20,000 soldiers, why don't you keep it for yourself?" Grandpa has always been a fine person, and he has always been very picky about eating, where can he eat what ordinary soldiers eat......"

Li Su said with a calm face: "It used to be before, this time and that time, in the past, the army had enough food and grass, I might as well pay attention to food, but now the food and grass are not enough, and the soldiers are going to starve and fight with the enemy, if I still have fine clothes and food, am I worthy of these desperate soldiers?" Needless to say, do what I say. ”

Fang Lao Wu sighed, and with a bitter face, he ordered to move out the private goods that Li Su brought out from Chang'an, and handed them over to the logistics grain and grass officer with a painful face.

After the righteousness was awe-inspiring, retribution followed.

It didn't take long for Fang Lao Wu to come over with a hot dinner, and Li Su only glanced at it, and couldn't help frowning.

In Fang Lao Wu's hand, it was a dough the size of a baby's fist, and after the millet was crushed, it was mixed with a little wild vegetables, and then put it in the pot to steam, which was the ...... in front of him The mysterious east and east of the tuo.

It's this lump of things that seems hard to swallow, and everyone can only get one, and as for the broth that used to be present at every meal, it is completely missing. It seems that Li Ji has issued a military order to reduce the daily grain and grass used by each person with all his might.